Alive
by carrotycake
Summary: "Nothing mattered now that Juno was here, alive, in his arms." Both had been thought dead and now, both were alive. The future may be uncertain, but they at least have each other. One shot, Galen/Starkiller x Juno pairing. Very fluffy!


**A/N: **So, I've been having a bit of a writing/Force Unleashed frenzy lately. This is just a one-shot, the product of a frustrated fangirl - in other words, what is happening with the Force Unleashed? Apparently there is a 3rd script - but we'll never know. Forgive my ranting. And please review! This is the first fic where I've tried to write a proper kiss between the two of them, so I'd be happy for feedback.

As always, I don't own Star Wars.

* * *

_He held her as though he planned never to let go._

"_We're alive," she whispered into his ear, "We are both of us so very alive."_

- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II novelisation, Sean Williams

* * *

**Alive**

He never wanted to let go. He could feel the coldness of the rain seeping through his clothes, chilling him to the bone now that the adrenaline of the fight had worn off. But that didn't matter. None of that mattered now that Juno was here, alive, in his arms. He could barely believe it himself. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of wet hair away from Juno's face, as if to check that she was real, and that he was not dreaming. She smiled weakly, her face pale, and pressed her forehead against his. Starkiller closed his eyes and wished, at that moment, that they could be anywhere else in the galaxy except here, at a mad cloning facility with Darth Vader in handcuffs.

He tried to push the looming figure of Darth Vader out of his mind, not wanting the Sith Lord to spoil his reunion with Juno. He had pursued the galaxy looking for her, and now that they were finally together at least part of him felt complete. There were many unanswered questions he had yet to ask; so many tangled thoughts wrapped up in his mind that he didn't know truly where his head was. His thoughts, however jumbled, returned to the woman in his arms. Sentences suddenly seemed like a struggle as he tried to express what he was feeling.

"I – I thought you were-"

"Dead? I think I was. But you're here. A-and you're supposed to be dead. So we're equal."

Her voice was faint, but that was the Juno that Starkiller remembered - never to be beaten in an argument, and a dry sense of humour that rivalled even Kota. He became suddenly aware of the rain beating down on them both, and how injured Juno must be, with her fall. Juno appeared to think the same, shaking her head clear of raindrops and shifting in his arms. She placed her hands on his shoulders and eased herself to a standing position, wincing slightly as she did so. Starkiller helped her up, and couldn't help noticing that Juno was probably in more pain than she was letting on. He half-turned, hoping to find a medic, but Juno drew him back, gripping his hand.

"Not yet," she murmured, her fingers brushing his cheek gently, "You know we won't get a moment's peace from this moment onwards."

"True," he sighed, again brushing wet strands of blonde hair out of her face. He could stay like that forever, if time would let them. Juno smiled shyly at him. "But you are hurt," he added, not wanting to lose her again to something as trivial as injury. He could see the bruises on her neck and the peeling bandage on her shoulder, the scratches on her face and arms and the way she favoured her left leg slightly.

"Maybe a bit," she agreed, closing her eyes in pain for a moment, "But I'll live." Her face broke into an unusual smile, and she sniffed, blinking tears from her eyes. Wiping them away with the heel of her hand, she leaned her face closer to his, so close they were almost touching. Starkiller wrapped his arms around her protectively and she rested her hands gently on his chest.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Starkiller spoke honestly, although he was not sure if he would like the answer. He had been so pre-occupied with _finding_ Juno that he had never considered what might happen _after _he found her. He wanted to be with her, of course, but Darth Vader and the Empire and the Rebellion and their blasted war made everything so much more complicated.

"Does it matter?" Juno looked up at him, somehow making him forget his all his concerns, just for a moment. He leant forward, meaning to kiss her, something he'd never initiated before, but was suddenly interrupted by a young Rebel medic nervously approaching.

"Uh, excuse me, sir," He addressed Juno and saluted, making the tactful decision to ignore Starkiller, "I have reason to presume you require medical assistance? General Kota sent me over. He said you may have suffered extensive injuries."

Both Juno and Starkiller looked over to where Kota was standing with his squad, who were now assembling some sort of harness around Vader. The old Jedi nodded at them, and returned, green lightsaber lit, to the task at hand. Juno smiled gratefully at the medic.

"Just see what you can do just now. I was shot here," she tapped her shoulder, "but that doesn't seem to hurt as much now. It's more my arm. I think… I landed on it when I fell."

"Right-oh," said the medic, "I'll take a look. Can you, uh, step away from the patient for a moment?" he asked Starkiller, with just a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice. Starkiller raised his eyebrows, and stayed put. _No way!_

"He's not going anywhere, and neither am I," said Juno, firmly, catching hold of Starkiller's hand with her good arm and gripping it tightly. The medic quailed slightly at her steely glare, and nodded.

"Whatever you say, sir." He moved around Starkiller and typed something into his medi-pad. Scanning it across Juno's arm, it made a series of bleeps. The medic frowned, and Starkiller chose that occasion to intervene.

"What does it mean?" he demanded, trying not to get angry for Juno's sake. It was harder that it looked, but he had found that the dark side is always easy. The medic looked from him to Juno, then back at his medi-pad. He was obviously slightly disconcerted at his findings, and seemed to be wrestling whether to tell them or not.

"Lieutenant, please be honest. Whatever it is, I think I've been through enough not to be too shocked." Juno spoke clearly, her calm exterior not betraying the pain Starkiller could feel from her through the Force.

"Yes, Captain." The medic swallowed. "The thing is – you fell from up there," He gestured to the upper platform, where Juno had tried to attack Vader with his own lightsaber, "But there's no evidence here of a bad fall. There's just – just some bruising, and I'll need to put something on your arm, which has suffered a mild fracture, but apart from that – nothing. I don't understand it. The severe pain, of course, is natural, from this type of impact – but no internal bleeding, open fractures, head injuries, which would be expected from a fall of that height."

The medic shook his head, clearly feeling that he was somehow failing Juno in his diagnosis. He brought some equipment out of his pack, and busied himself with strapping her arm to some kind of field brace. Juno looked up at Starkiller, grimacing. He squeezed her hand, his attempt at reassurance, and found that he wasn't quite so worried. Juno was going to be fine. That was all that mattered. She smiled at him, apparently glad for his presence. The medic eventually finished attending to Juno's arm and stood back, tidying his equipment back into his pack. He nodded at the two of them.

"That's all I can do just now, I'm afraid. We won't be able to get access to a fully-equipped medical bay until some more Rebel ships arrive." He shot half a glance at Starkiller, as if to ask him if _he_ was needing medical attention, but decided against it. _Probably for the best,_ Starkiller thought, glancing at the many cuts and bruises that he had accumulated over the last few days, not to mention the blood that spattered his robes after his encounter with the clones. He didn't want too many people asking questions about him, anyway.

"Thank you, lieutenant." Juno dipped her head, gratefully, and the medic turned and headed towards a group of injured soldiers. She turned towards Starkiller, letting go of his hand. It was as if she was seeing him properly for the first time, noticing the blood and the dirt with a concerned expression on her face.

"You're covered in blood," she stated, her hands lightly brushing the front of his armour, "Why is it that every time I see you, you are covered in blood? It makes me worry."

"Worry? You don't need to worry about me…"

"Is it your blood?" She had ignored the comment, cutting him off, and he could tell she wasn't going to be fooled. Starkiller turned away from her, afraid for Juno to know the truth. He couldn't meet her steely blue eyes, afraid to see her expression.

"No," he said, quietly, hesitating, "It belongs to…to those clones, from the tanks on the upper levels. Juno, I…I killed them. _All _of them." He ran a desperate hand through his hair, feeling like a monster. An atrocity. How could Juno possibly want to be with him now, after he had willingly killed _so many_ people, so many clones? She would think him no better than Vader, simply a tool of the dark side. After all, she had forged a new life for herself in the light, throwing herself into the greater good, while he had resided in the shadows. How could she possibly want him now?

"Galen," she said, sternly, and Starkiller whipped round. That _name_…it was his. Except it wasn't. He met Juno's eyes, and was surprised by the determination that he saw there.

"Yes, I'm calling you by your name. Your true name. Because I don't know you any other way. And I sure as the stars know that you are _still you_. You-" She broke off, turning away; visibly angered all of a sudden. "You think that I won't want to be with you because you killed those clones? Because you _might_ be a clone yourself?"

Galen hesitated, giving Juno her answer without having to say anything. Her face hardened, and she reached out and gripped his forearms with surprising force.

"You are not the only one with a muddy conscience, Galen. I _led_ the Bombing of Callos, remember? I gave the orders that resulted in the destruction of _an entire planet's population._ I killed people, too. And I won't ever forget that. I accept the consequences. But," she swallowed, "I can't let that get in the way of people I love. Because then I'll hurt them, too. "

Galen looked at her in wonder. She, as usual, was right. He could never undo all the deaths he had caused – but letting that get in the way of his life would just cause more harm. He wanted – well, he wanted to be with Juno. He wasn't sure what would come after that.

"Juno, I-" He sighed, carefully taking her hands, "I'm sorry for doubting you. I know there's still a lot of things to figure out, but we've got…us," he finished, unsure of what to say next.

Juno nodded, a reluctant grin spreading from underneath the darkness. She blinked at the sudden burst of sunlight that was peeping through the dark grey clouds. The rain had stopped, though neither of them had noticed. A smile crossed Galen's lips for the first time in – well, as long as he could remember. It was a strange sensation.

In the distance, he could see various Alliance ships landing, carrying medical supplies and reinforcements, there to deter any Imperial troops that may be still snooping around. He realised that the Rebels would be moving on soon, as he was sure the Empire would be arriving shortly, no doubt to count their losses. It wouldn't be good if the Rebels were still on Kamino when that happened. And then, as Juno predicted, they would probably never get a moment's peace.

"Galen…" Juno looked like she was about to say something, perhaps about the ships that were landing, but all Galen could think about was the lack of time, time being spent standing, and not talking or _doing_. He could see Kota out of the corner of his eye, a speck in the distance, turning towards them. Whatever Galen was planning, he had to do it quickly, or the chance would be lost.

Placing his hands gently around Juno's waist, he leant forward and kissed her, finally. Relief spread all through his body as her lips pressed firmly against his, responding to his advances with equal enthusiasm. She wrapped her arms – one of them with slight difficulty – around his neck, holding him in place. Galen, certainly, realised that he had no intention of moving from his position any time soon. He closed his eyes and let himself flow in the moment, savouring every minute he had with Juno. He felt her hands caressing his neck, and suddenly the passion was wild, it was _there. _The difference from their first kiss was palpable; where first, it had been spur-of-the-moment and tentative, now there was something real. Something _there._ Hope. They had hope for the future, whatever it may bring.

When they finally broke apart, he had no clue how much time had passed; it could have been a few seconds, or perhaps several hours. Time didn't seem to matter, just here, in these moments. He held Juno close as she entwined her hands into the folds of his tunic, her head resting on his shoulder. She turned her head slightly, her lips resting close to his ear.

"You know," she whispered, "This means that I might have to live it down after all, doesn't it?"

Galen blinked, remembering her last words to him before she kissed him over the Death Star and he met his fate with the Emperor.

"_Then I'll never need to live this down…"_

The moment when their true feelings had finally manifested, and it was so wonderful, and at the same time so terribly sad, because they could not be together-

Except they could, now.

"Second chances," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. Juno looked up at him, bemused.

"What did you say?" Juno frowned, the hint of a smile playing on her face.

"I said…I guess you will. Have to live it down, I mean." He blushed, unused to speaking his mind so brazenly. Juno laughed, a raw sound that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Hmm. I fully intend to, now. I'm not letting you out of my sight." She jested playfully, taking his hand and kissing him on the cheek. His face reddened further, but he smiled nonetheless at the simple gesture. Kota was nearing them now, his scarred face set in determination.

"Well, there goes our privacy," he muttered, and Juno nudged him gently.

"Shush. He's a soldier. He just wants to talk tactics. We have just won a battle, remember."

Galen acknowledged this, struck by the use of 'we' in Juno's sentence._ We. _As if it was them, together, against all odds. The two of them. He found that he rather liked it.

"Whatever Kota's going to discuss with us…" Galen swallowed, unsure as how to phrase what he was trying to say, "I just wanted to make sure – I mean, that is…I just want you to know-"

"Don't say a word," grinned Juno, putting a hand to his mouth, muffling his words. She quietened for a moment, her face suddenly solemn. "No - stop talking… You asked me earlier what I think is going to happen. With us. And - the truth is…I haven't a clue. But I'm still with the Rebellion. So do you want to stay with – with me? You know, and fight. Or something."

"I thought the answer was obvious," replied Galen, pulling Juno's hand away from his mouth and holding it, looking at her with some incredulity.

"Is it? Because – well, you didn't really intend to start something this big when you first got the Rebels together. How am I to know what you still think?" She broke his gaze, looking down at the ground.

"Juno, I – I want to be here. Wherever 'here' is, I don't really…it doesn't matter. I never realised the Rebels would grow to be as huge as they are – but I certainly intend to stay and finish the job," he said, with a grim determination. Juno was right about how he felt about the Rebels when they were first formed, but…well, things had certainly changed since then. The Emperor had to be defeated, and the Rebels would give him the means to achieve that. He knew that the future ahead of them was unsteady, at best. He knew that it certainly wouldn't be easy. But he was sure of his love for Juno, clone or not. He held her hand a little tighter, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

He smiled a little as he looked at Juno. She looked up at him and returned the gaze, neither of them saying anything. Whatever came next, they knew they would fight. They would fight, and even if they didn't win, it would still have been worth it. To Galen at least, that was all that mattered.

_End._


End file.
